Wherever I go and look

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by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857)

Translation © by Jakob Kellner

Wohin ich geh' und schaue

Language: German (Deutsch)

Available translation(s): CAT DUT ENG FRE FRE ITA SPA

Wohin ich geh' und schaue,
In Feld und Wald und Tal,
[Vom Berg hinab in die Aue;
Viel schöne, hohe Fraue]¹, 
Grüß ich dich tausendmal.

In meinem Garten find' ich
Viel [Blumen]², schön und fein, 
Viel Kränze wohl draus wind' ich
Und tausend Gedanken bind' ich
Und Grüße mit darein.

[Ihr darf ich keinen reichen,
Sie ist zu hoch und schön,
Die müssen alle verbleichen,
Die Liebe nur ohnegleichen]³
Bleibt ewig im Herzen stehn.

Ich schein' wohl froher Dinge
Und schaffe auf und ab,
Und, ob das Herz zerspringe,
Ich grabe fort und singe,
Und grab' mir bald mein Grab.

R. Franz sets stanzas 1-3
F. Mendelssohn sets stanzas 1-3
H. Henkel sets stanzas 1-3

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Henkel: "Vom Hügel hin auf die Aue;/ Vom Berg aufwärts ins Blaue"; Mendelssohn: "Vom Hügel hinauf die Aue;/ Vom Berg aufwärts weit ins Blaue"
² Mendelssohn: "Blümchen"
³ Henkel:

Dir darf ich keinen reichen,
Du bist so hoch und schön,
Sie müssen bald verbleichen,
Die Liebe ohne Gleichen

; Mendelssohn:

Dir darf ich keinen reichen,
Du bist zu hoch und schön,
Sie müssen zu bald verbleichen,
Die Liebe ohnegleichen

Authorship:

by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Gärtner", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Frühling und Liebe [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Der Gärtner", op. 17 no. 3, published 1861 [ women's chorus, 2 horns, harp ], from Vier Gesänge für Frauenchor mit zwei Hörner und Harfe, no. 3, Bonn, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
by Karl Collan (1828 - 1871), "Gruss" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Anton Eberhardt (1855 - 1922), "Gruss", op. 20, Heft 3 no. 20, published 1891 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Amata. Ein Cyklus von 30 Liedern für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianoforte, no. 20, Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
by Robert Eitner (1832 - 1905), "Wohin ich geh' und schau", op. 4, published 1862 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Der vielschönen Fraue", op. 10 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 4, published 1850, stanzas 1-3 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
by Heinrich Henkel (1822 - 1899), "Gruß", op. 8 (Vier Lieder für Sopran- oder Tenorstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1851, stanzas 1-3 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Offenbach: Johann André [sung text checked 1 time]
by Fritz Kauffmann (1855 - 1943), "Der vielschönen Fraue", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]
by Armin Knab (1881 - 1951), "Der Gärtner", 1918-22 [sung text not yet checked]
by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Gruß", op. 63 (Sechs Duette) no. 3, published 1845, stanzas 1-3 [ duet ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869 - 1949), "Der Gärtner", op. 9 no. 1 (1888/89), published 1898, first performed 1896 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder für mittlere Stimme und Klavier nach Gedichten von Joseph von Eichendorff, no. 1, Leipzig, Max Brockhaus [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav von Rössler , "Wohin ich geh' und schaue", published 1888 [ voice and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
by (Maria) Heinrich‏ Schmidt (1809 - 1870), "Lied des Gärtners", op. 1 (12 Lieder im Volkstone) no. 10, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Der Gärtner", op. 20 no. 11 (1905-14) [ voice and piano ], from Lieder nach Gedichten von Uhland und Eichendorff , no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
by Max Stange (1856 - 1932), "Der Gärtner", op. 32 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1894 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Vogl , "Gruss", op. 10 (Drei Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran oder Bariton mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1895 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], München, Alfred Schmid Nachf. (Unico Hensel) [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Jakob Kellner) , "Wherever I go and look", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Jakob Kellner , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 100

Wherever I go and look

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Wherever I go and look,
in field and forest and plain,
down the hill to the mead;
most beautiful noble lady,
I greet you a thousand times.

In my garden I find
many flowers, pretty and nice,
many garlands I bind from them
and a thousand thoughts 
and greetings I weave into them.

Her I must not give one,
she is too noble and fair;
they all have to fade,
only unequalled love 
stays in the heart forever.

I seem to be of good cheer
and work to and fro,
and, though my heart bursts,
I dig on and sing,
and soon I dig my grave.

Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Jakob Kellner, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact:

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Gärtner", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Frühling und Liebe

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 106